One is better than none

North fights back to get first win of season in MVAL

North fights back to get first win of season in MVAL

April 24, 2002|BY JACK HILL III

It wasn't the perfect end to a perfect day for the North Hagerstown softball team on Tuesday, but the Hubs weren't too picky by that point.

North ended a doubleheader on Tuesday with a 14-3 loss to Brunswick. But it had already scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning in Game 1 for a 14-13 victory that snapped an eight-game losing skid and gave the Hubs their first win of the season in the Monocacy Valley Athletic League.

"Our girls showed some growth during the first game," North coach Brian Guessford said. "We kept hitting the ball and we kept putting the pressure on them."

Trailing 4-0, the Hubs (2-11, 1-10) scored the next 12 runs of the game and seemed headed for an easy win. Then Brunswick scored nine runs in the top of the seventh for a 13-12 lead.

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But Christina Embly got North headed in the right direction. She singled, and got to third on a wild pickoff throw and a wild pitch. After a Tiffany Cobb walk, a wild pitch let Embly score the tying run and put Cobb on third base with the winning run.

Brunswick (3-8, 3-6) responded by loading the bases before Laura Smyth singled in the winning run.

"We played very well in the first game," Guessford said. "We were aggressive on the basepaths and we had some timely hitting. We made some good defensive plays when we needed to. "

Sierra Routzahn and Embly finished with three hits each.

n In Game 2, North started where it left off with three runs in the first. But Brunswick scored in every at-bat to never give the Hubs a second chance to rally.

Winning pitcher Samantha Hughes gave up only one earned run and two hits in five innings. Kate Prinkey knocked in four runs for Brunswick.

"In the second game, we picked ourselves up," Brunswick coach Adrienne Brown said. "When we start out strong, we usually finish strong. I think that our hitting came around in the second game. We were bunting better and we were using more aggressive baserunning."